Means for controlling vehicle-trains.



J. H. LOCK.

MEANS FOR CONTROLLING VEHICLE TRAINS.

APPVLIcAmN F1111) sEPT.2n,1918.

@ivi/121mm lli ITED STATES 'PATENT ernten.

Means ron con'reotrarre 4 VEHICLE-realite.

tenaces. u

To all wlw/1L t may concern:

Be it known that l, '.l'oHN'H. Loon, citizen f `of the United States, residing at. Detroit, county of Wayne, State of Michigamrhave .invented a certain new and 'useful Improvo- .ment in Means for Controlling Vehicle Trains, and'declare the following to be a f ull, clear, and exact description ofthe same, suoli as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompany-` ing drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to means for controlf ling vehicle trains, shown in the accom panying drawings andmore particularly set forth. in the vfollowing specification Vand claims. f

@n account of the shortage in 'transportation facilities it has been thepractice of late among automobile manufacturers to deliver' vehicles to distantnpoints by driving them to their destination. A rlhis however' necessi# tate'sv a driver-for each car, and as many ve-` hicles are frequently shipped simultaneously f to the samedestinationit'involves the 'em-- ploymentfor each shipment of a large force of men tohandle the cars, who aftertheir delivery must return-to the `factory/by rail# road ata kconsiderable expenditure of time, eHort'and money. y' It is therefore the objectof this invention to provide means whereby a single'driverin the forward car of a'train of vehiclesmay control thev operation'of the respective cars that they maybe actuated under'their own and respectively' brought under the power,

of their own brake by the driver of control the leading car. A di@ With the foregoing and other objectsfin view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides "in, the combination and arramgement'of parts, and in vthe details of constructionv hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that i changes may be made in thel precise lembodifor controlling jth'eir operation `from thel Aforward vehicle..

wte

inent- ,herein disclosed without 4departing from the spiritofthe invention. K

lin the accompanying drawings :f-

Figure lis a diagrammatic plan viewof a train of vehicles, with means installed Fig. 2 .is a -V side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a detail view with parts in section of the draw bar, electric switch or circuit Specification olf Letters Patent. Patinbgd @9 19319, appueation mea september 2o, 191e. serial ne. asigna -breaker, andv brake control connection be member C'v secured to a steering bar C1 on the forward vehicle, and which isadapted to rec eive a cofacting plunger member D, secured to a steering bar D1 at the forward end of the car directly following in the rear.

draw-bar connection be'- E, is a pole or contact point of an electric circuit breaker or switch X, suitably mounted uponthe frame G1 'and socket member C,

' but insulated therefrom.

l?, is arcontact point carried by and insulated from the plunger` D .extending througha slotted opening @inthe-socket, member .C thatitma'y engage the contact point F to 'close an `electric circuit throughv the wires G leading to' the ignition systeml (not shown) of the car immediately following. f

H,"clenotes a pulley journaled in a bracket l i H? carried by they plunger D, projecting through agnot erslotted opening-A in ,the

socket member; and jl;- indicates a cable passing around the pulleyv and secured at one end of the socket member and at the other yend to the brake controlling mechanism (not shown) of the car directly in the rear.

J, designates a spring housedlwithinthe I socket member C adaptedI to act upon the end of the plunger, which in conjunction with a like spring K, carried by the plun er and bearing against the end of the soc et member, serves to maintain the respectivel contact poles or 4points of the circuit breaker or switch X normally in closed relation.

L, indicates the usual Igas control lever of" the respective cars.

M, is a flexible shaft extending throughout the length of the train, housed in thek sections of a lieXible-tube' N, spaced apart andsupported by suitablebrackets N1 secured to therespective vehicles.

spectively secured to the shaft Mf-between the sections of the flexible tube lip-connected by links @with the respective gas. control 'leversllt 4. 4

indicated the several'parts i by reference letters, the construction and op- Y Having now 105 P,denotes a-plurality .of'rockera1ms, re#

eration of the dcvice'will be readily under.-

4 stood.

The gas control'levers of the several cars are adjusted and connected by 1means of their respective connecting links With the rocker arms carried by the flexible shaft, whereby upon the operation of the gas lever in the forward car asimilaradjustment is eiectf the pulley H also forced forward by the.

' movement of the plunger,-acting upon the cable I, will cause the brakes of the car to be applied until the movement-of the respective cars shall again become normal.-

. It will now be seen that a single driver may eil'ectively control the operation cfr-a -train of several cars, and that the motive power of each car can be employed so that be. impassable if the cars connected with suflicient' power may b e developed for operation over roads which would otherwise the forward or drivers c'ar were merely trailers Having thus described my mve'ntlon what I claim is;

1 'The combinationof a plurality of internal combustion motor driven vehicles,

means for connecting the respective .vehicles together to form atrain, circuit breaking means for controlling the ignition, circuit frthe internal combustion motors of the respectivev vehicles adaptedqto z be operated through the movement 'oi the respective ve'- hicles with reference' to each other, and manually operable means connected withithe controlling means of the prime movers of the several vehicles, whereby upon the operation of the controlling means of one vehicle the controllingmeans of the respective vehicles may be simultaneously operated.

' 2. The combination of a plurality of internal combustion` motorl driven vehicles, v means for connecting the respective vehicles together to form a train, consisting of a draw-bar comprising a -socket -member adapted to be attachedI to one vehicle and a` 'co-actingplunger-member adapted to be se# cured to the connecting vehicle, a spring housed in. the socket member to receive the l-necting each `rocker arm with a gas control- `socket member,

thrust of the plunger, a spring sleeved upon the plunger to receive the thrust of the socket member, and an electric circuit breaker controlling the ignition circuit for the respective motors operable through a change in the predetermined spaced relation of the vehicles to each other whilein motion.

3. The combination of a plurality of internal combustion motor driven vehicles, means for connecting the several vehicles together' to form atrain, gas control levers for the respective motors, a flexible shaft suitably supported extending the length of the train,` a plurality of rocker arms mounted upon said shaft, 4and links connecting the respective rocker larms with the gas control levers, whereby 'upon manually operating one of said levers the other controlling levers may be manually operated.

4. The combination of ja plurality of internal combustion motor driven vehicles, means Ifor connecting the several vehicles together to form a train, gas control levers for the respective motors, a flexible shaft extending the length of the train, a flexible tube formed in sections` and spaced apart through which the flexible shaft extends, a

rocker arm secured tothe shaft. between the spaced sections of the tube, aiid a link conling lever, whereby upon the operation of one ofthe levers the other levers may be simultaneously operated. l

5. The combination of a'plurality oi internal combustion motor driven vehicles, means for connecting the respective vehicles together to form a train, consisting of a drawebar comprising a socket member adapted to be attached to one vehicle and a co-acting plunger member adaptedto be secured to the connecting vehicle, -a spring housed in the socket member to receive the thrust of the plunger, .a spring sleeved upon the plunger to receive the thrust -of the and an electric `circuit breaker controlling the ignition circuit for the respective motors operable through a 'change in the predetermined spaced `relation of the vehicles to each other while in motion, and means adapted yto apply the brakescf the respective vehicles, also operable'through a change in the predetermined'spaced relation of the respective vehicles to each other while in motion.

In testimony whereof, I sign this speciication in the presence of two witnesses.

. JOHN H. LOCK.

Witnesses;

S. E. Tiio'MA-s, JN0. CoNsIDINn, Jr. 

